Road Trip Stop 2: Scarborough and Newcastle

Well, only a few days in and Cleo is a mess! For anyone just joining the blog Cleo (Renault Clio) is my hire car for my northern UK road trip. I returned to her a few streets away to find the trees had left a right mess. I originally thought it looked like some sort of wattle flower and that it would blow off when I started driving but turned out to be sticky and the windscreen wiper (singular) made it impossibly worse.

I pulled into a "servo" assuming it would be similar to home and have the buckets and squeegees to wash the windscreen, but apparently not. Anyway, I push on, squinting through the clean parts I can see out of further north to Newcastle.

Its a few hours drive so I stop in halfway to visit Scarborough on the coastline. Stunning views on a very typical moody northern English day.

I purchased an English heritage pass, basically, you buy the pass (think it was about 80 pounds) and then you don't have to pay each time to get into any of the registered sites for up to 2 years! Definitely worth it as places like Stonehenge etc are 20 pounds each to enter! I'm keeping a tally of entry fees at each place so I can ensure I'm getting my value, I'll let you know at the end if it was worth it! I also like the fact that the English Heritage is not for profit and keeps these wonderful places in history alive to tell their stories (if only walls could talk hey?!)

My first use of the pass is at Scarborough Castle, perched high overlooking the North Sea and lovely views of the town too. Like many others of the places I've visited, it was built in stages adding to it over time but the stone castle dates back to the 1150's! Some of these dates just astound me really and the conditions, battles, and wars they've stood up to is unbelievable! Originally built to protect the Scarborough port and Yorkshire coastline from any naval attacks and also any Scottish invasions coming down the northeast coastline. It was the siege of the English Civil War that left the castle in ruins from the middle of the 17th century. Further damage was also sustained in the Napoleonic War and in WWI from German warships.
I love this compassion photo so you can actually see what it would have been like in it's prime and what is left today.

Back on the road and I arrived quite late as I've enjoyed my day in coastal Scarborough, another cute little Airbnb to rest up and explore the city of Newcastle Upon Tyne tomorrow, nighty night!

A lovely morning weather wise (unusual so far for the UK) so I'm off as it's likely to rain later this afternoon. The city is a buzz and has plenty of historic charm mixed with modern funk. There are deck chairs spread up the mall towards the Grey Monument, which towers down over the city.

The column was erected in 1838 to honour Charles Earl Grey, an advocate parliamentarian for peace and religious liberties. He was the voice of the reform act of 1832 which rendered civil peace and what the column is dedicated to. I was going to applaud him for still looking pretty good for some 181 years on, but his head was replaced after WWII. No, not a battle wound but an unlucky lightning strike knocked his head off and was replaced in 1947, no wonder standing some 40m above the street!

Now for a taste of home, I spent the afternoon quayside by the Tyne Bridge, which crosses the Tyne River, also hence the name Newcastle upon Tyne. If you didn't listen to the accents or nobody was walking past I'd swear I was in Sydney, just for a minute! So similar, funky outdoor bars and coffee shops which a view of the bridge. I definitely thought they were like sister bridges, it turns out they are!
This one was opened in 1928 designed by engineering trio Mott, Hay & Anderson. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932 although designed by the same British company from Middlesborough, the inspiration for both was from the Hells Gate Bridge in New York. We can claim that the one in Newcastle is based off ours because even though it opened first, construction started on the Sydney Harbour Bridge 2 years prior to starting this one!

Anyway, it's a nice feeling of home for the afternoon and I can't believe it didn't rain! I'm glad because earlier this morning I took Cleo to the car wash to get all the yuck off!

Well, that's another stop done on the road! Tomorrow we (Cleo, my trusty wheels and I) cross the border to Edinburgh, Scotland!!
Adventures of bagpipes and Haggis awaits!
Much love,
L xx